Dolls
by J0j2
Summary: When a young Malkanian Princess comes aboard the enterprise, she takes a special liking to the CMO, but as for his friends she creates her own personal doll house using the Enterprise. Plato's Step Children references. Exploring Bones' POV w/ Platonians
1. Little Girls

Dolls

Captain's Log, Stardate 9834.2: We have recently been ordered to take aboard the princess of Malka 7, a planet where many of the inhabitants have strong psychokinetic powers, much like platonians. The royal family has the most of any civilians and are rather humanoid if not exactly like humans in physical structure. The princess is to be transported to a federation base across the galaxy for ambassadorial reasons in which we are not informed of currently. She is a rather young child and we are to be on the lookout because no other Malkans are allowed on the ship. We hope this mission will run smoothly.

Jim stabbed the button to end the log as the rest of the bridge was obviously listening in and fully informed. Bones was also standing, nervousness was evident. "Like the Platonians?" he asked.

"They're a much more civilized group, Bones. No more hostages or stuff like that." Kirk reassured him.

"Still, are you sure that this is really a good idea?"

"We're the best ship in the fleet and this is a Proprietary mission. Primary status."

"Fine." Bones toyed with his tricorder, making the screen fuzz a little bit, much to Spock's dislike since it made a high pitched beeping noise.

"Doctor, would you please refrain from using your tricorder when it is not needed? It is indeed very annoying." Spock said, not bothering to turn around. "If I may ask, how long with the Malkanian princess be onboard?"

"Well, the base is at the other end of this galaxy, so…two weeks? Three weeks? A month tops, I think." Kirk replied, also playing with another piece of equipment, this one not bugging Spock's sensitive, pointy Vulcan ears.

Just then the intercom buzzed as Uhura brought the communication in from a Starfleet representative. "Ambassador Wakeli to enterprise."

"Enterprise, Kirk here."

"Kirk, we're ready to beam aboard Princess Cahili."

"Reading, Ambassador. Beam her up in five minutes. Kirk out." He punched the button. "Gentlemen? Spock, Bones?" McCoy nodded and Spock got out of his chair as they walked to the elevator.

"Jeez, it seems like we're a school bus these days. We've have more kids aboard than any other ship in the fleet!"

"Come on Bones. She can't be that bad."

"It's not that I don't like kids Jim, its just…kind of annoying."

"And you are not, most of the time, doctor?" The Vulcan shot nonchalantly. Bones grumbled under his breath, Spock picking up every word of it. "And if I may inquire, where on earth did you learn such foul language?" This didn't help McCoy's mood.

"Shuddup hobgoblin."

"Can we keep the swearing to a regular level? There will be royalty on board. _Small _royalty, so can we make this be a clean trip?"

"Fine." McCoy rolled his eyes as they got off by the transporter hallway and stepped through the doors.

The same voice came through the intercom.

"Ready to beam aboard?"

"Ready. Bring her up." Kirk said cheerily.

Within seconds, the shape of a little girl who looked creepily from the sixties began to vaporize on the launch pad. She looked about five, maybe six, years of age with braided brown pigtails the same shade as Kirk's hair, but capturing the light like a prism. She had a lot of blush and a pink and blue frilly dress and wore a matching head dress with a beautiful white crystal on her forehead, seemingly the crown. '_Great'. _Bones thought.

There was also the Starfleet ambassador beamed up, who was there for introductions before he would leave. "Good day to you captain!" He bid welcomes.

"Good day to you ambassador," Kirk said with his evident charm. "And who is this you brought along?" He squatted down to the little girls level and she grinned, an adorable blush sweeping her complexion.

"This is Princess Cahili of Malka Seven."

"Hi there!" Jim put out his hand for her to shake. She looked at it, then looked at him and giggled a little. Bones did too, realizing something the wise captain who had gone through 6 years of Starfleet command school hadn't. She wasn't human, and obviously didn't know what a hand shake was.

"Jim?" he nudged the captain a little.

Kirk made a rather not so smooth recovery and stood up. "Ambassador, Princess, this is my first officer Mr. Spock,"

"Greetings."

"And my Chief Senior Medical Officer, Dr. McCoy." Bones smiled.

"A pleasure."

Ambassador Wakeli put his hand on the girl's shoulder. "She's great to have around captain. Put her to bed around seven thirty, earth time and always have someone with her. Oh, and she loves dolls and-" A little blip came from his clothing. "Oh dear, I really must be going. Cahili, be good." He put out his fingers but his thumb and Cahili did the same. "Good bye!" and hazed out into little yellow dots and disappeared. He left behind one thing. Three huge bags of luggage.

"So where's my room?" She asked excitedly, right after he was gone.

"We'll all escort you down there, won't we?" McCoy just barely sighed and Spock remained neutral as the two crewmen picked up the bags.

They walked down the halls and the ever so well behaved Cahili made faces at the crewmen. One of the three wanted to tell her off, but none of them really had the heart to do so.

"Why are your ears funny?" she looked up at Spock. Spock seemed displeased.

"I do not see the humor in their shape." He responded drily.

"You see Cahili, he is from a different planet." Kirk explained patiently, trying to take the pressure off the Vulcan. Being friendly towards kids was never his strong suit.

"Ooh. You got weird eyebrows too." This may have been annoying Spock, but was defiantly lifting Bones' mood as he snickered a little.

"Great observation there." The doctor patted the girl on the back as they got to the door. It squeaked open in a joyous manner, but really not very joyous if you had the hearing of a Vulcan. This day was not going to be his piece of cake.

The room was lined with flowery wall paper and looked very nice since this was where most important feminine guests would stay. The bed immediately caught Cahili's eye. She ran towards it and began jumping wildly.

"Cahili, you cannot jump on the beds." Kirk said adamantly.

"Why?" she moaned.

"That's not proper behavior for a young lady."

"I'm not proper!" She yelled back, doing a front flip.

"Be careful! Stop jumping!"

"No!" The princess squealed. Jim was suddenly rather violently shoved against a wall.

"Get down from there!" He managed. She groaned.

"Fine." Her grip on Jim was released. McCoy's eyes went wide as both he and Spock raised an eyebrow.

"We're going to call in someone to watch you."

"Aw. Why?"

"That's why." McCoy told her. "I'll come back in in a little while, alright?" he said as they left and a redshirt took their place. They sat in the hallway away from the door."

"You said they were DIFFERENT than the platonians!" McCoy screamed.

"She's a little girl! Lay off her. Jeez." Jim said defensively.

"A little girl who could potentially kill us!" he argued.

"They are civilized. We have contact with Starfleet, nothing is going to happen."

"The comment on my ears was quite unnecessary." Spock commented, looking up at the pointed things attached to his head. "I agree with the Doctor. She could be dangerous."

"Look, if anything happens, Starfleet can take her off our hands. She's a little kid. What's the worst that could happen?" Bones and Spock exchanged looks.

"Whatever. Just be careful. I'm going to take a shift with her okay?"

"Why are_ you _suddenly wanting to know her?"

"I had a little girl once, you know?"

"Oh yea, your daughter. Alrighty Bones, good luck." And with that, the captain and officer left for the bridge.

The CMO opened the door and relieved a redshirt who had been waiting for his return. "Hi Cahili." He said, sitting down in a chair.

"Hi!" she said, putting down what looked like a Malkanian version of Barbie dolls. "You're Dr. McCoy right?" Her high voice ringing.

"You can call me Bones."

"That's your name? That's a weird name." She got up and came over to the doctor and leaned over on his lap, resting her head on his legs. "Mr. Ears talks funny."

"Yes, yes he does." Bones said wistfully. "But don't tell him that."

"Why?"

"He gets grumpy."

"Oooh." After raising a kid for about seven years, you knew how to address these things.

"What's your favorite color?" And, apparently, make small talk.

"Pink."

"My favorite color is blue." He said.

"Like your shirt?" she asked.

"Yea, I like this color."

"Do you like dolls?" That comment was totally out of the blue. (Look at the horrible bad pun-ness! Get it? Out of the Blue? His favorite color? Ha, that wasn't funny. So sorry. I'll get back to the story, behind the keyboard. Where I belong…)

_Yea, sure, why not. Lets go with that. _"I do." He smiled in that little way of his.

"This is Jilly." She took a blond haired doll wearing a hot pink dress and proudly showed it to Bones.

"She's very pretty."

"She's one of a kind! My daddy got her special!"

_Great, she's spoiled too. _"Who's that one?" Another doll floated, much to McCoy's discomfort. This one had a braided ponytail with brown hair.

"This is Mabi. She's my favorite." Bones continued to smile, remembering how he had, with such joy, shown almost every visitor his teddy bear collection as a kid. This, he was happy to know, only he knew. Oh, if Jim knew he would NEVER let him live it down. Joanna was never in to dolls. She was more the tomboy type.

She continued, unpacking one of her enormous bags that was full of these dolls, blowing the good doctor's mind. It was beginning to get late and there was a page for McCoy. He tapped the button. "Bones here."

"McCoy, come down to the bridge. Someone has to go to sleep and Yeoman Rand will take care of that."

"Alright Jim, just a sec."

A few seconds later, the redshirt girl was in the room.

"I have to go, Cahili. Good night."

"No! Can you stay here?" she asked.

"I have to go."

"Pleeeeease Bones?" she begged and a very slight tug was felt on the back of Bones' shirt, obviously from her psychokinetic powers, a pit falling into his stomach, his instincts telling him saying no would be a bad idea.

"Alright." He pulled over a chair as the light grip released him. The yeoman left, seeing as this was under control. Cahili climbed into bed and shut her eyes. "Goodnight." Bones said and headed for the exit. The tug began to get heavier.

"I need to go, Cahili, let me go." He said, his voice wavering a little. He was rewarded by a slow loosening of the grasp as he slipped out the door and made a beeline for the elevator.

XXX

"She wasn't going to let me get out of there, I'm telling you." McCoy insisted.

"I believe you, but clearly your out and not in bad condition. How exactly do they do that anyway?"

"The difference between Malkanians and Humans is that their brain waves can easily manipulate our brain pulses, allowing us to pretty much be under their control. It's worrying."

"Yes, I would agree doctor." Spock turned around from his chair.

"I don't know…it just seems so ominous."

"Hm." Jim seemed to not care so much. "Just carry around a communicator. Anyway, how developed can her powers be? She's only five."

"Actually 6 earth years." Bones said as-a-matter-of-factly.

"Not 19 Vulcan years? 12 Romulan years?" Kirk jibed.

"Everyone's a critic." Jim laughed and the Vulcan smiled a little. "Listen, I have to go to my quarters. I have some medical stuff to attend to."

"Nighty night." Kirk said, leaning back in the captain's chair.

"I shall see you on duty at six hundred hours." Spock jabbed.

"What? That's so early! Are you joking?"

"I never joke, Doctor."


	2. Playroom

Dolls Chapter 2

Sorry if some things are a little out of character. I realize that. Please R&R!

McCoy woke up to his familiar quarters, inhaling the air and slowly sitting up in his bed. He was still tired from getting up as he put on his shirt and washed up. He was about to open up the door when he realized something. Something was missing.

Quickly, he checked his clock. It read nine twenty two. His eyes went wide with fear as he bolted out the door and punched the communicator, an eerie silence meeting his ears. A cold sweat ran down his spine. Oh god…oh my god…Spock hadn't called him this morning.

If this was Jim who told him he had the early shift, he wouldn't be freaked. This was Spock. The uptight, logical, punctual Vulcan. This was weird and the absence of noise in the hallway was scaring him. "Bones to bridge. Come in bridge." He pleaded. Something in his gut knew something was seriously wrong here.

Dead air. Just dead air. "Jim?" more silence. "Spock! Spock! Respond you pointy eared hobgoblin!" He yelled, his voice withering into that of a small child's.

He ran to the elevator and the normal, annoying music had been shut off. Even that would be comforting now. It reached his stop and he scuttled out the door to see the entire bridge…frozen.

Jim sat in his chair…but it wasn't frozen. Everybody's face was twisted in fear. Kirk couldn't turn his neck. McCoy scurried in front of his friend. "Jim! What in the devil's name happened?" he yelled, shaking.

"You were right." He vocals were strained as if it was difficult to speak. His normal authority had been stolen away and cast into the endless space below them.

"What?" Bones held Jim by the arm, begging for an answer and for him not to have the responsibility of a star ship. That was Jim's job, not a doctor's. Not a doctor's job.

"Its her. She's-" his voice was so injured it was hard to hear and his jaw was then forced up. Cahili was doing this. What could she possibly want with a star ship?

McCoy turned around to see Spock and his chair was empty. "Where's Spock?" he almost whimpered.

No response, but Kirk's eyes seemed a little shiny…wet? No. It couldn't be. McCoy nodded and took a deep breath. "It's okay." He assured his friend. "Everything's going to turn out alright." And left for the princess's quarters.

Xxx

The door opened and the doctor had to squint. There had somehow been lights applied in the room and it was now hot pink, like her doll's dress. Cahili sat in the middle along with a certain frozen Vulcan. This had stopped being funny. Now it was just plain creepy.

The princess turned her head and smiled. "Do you like it?"

The color from McCoy's face drained. "Let them go."

"Will you join us for tea?" Little girls…not at all like Joanna. He had always had nightmares as a kid about creepy dolls…lifeless eyes…not like teddy bears. There was that girl in 2nd grade…he shivered a little.

"No. Cahili, you need to put everything back."

"That's impolite to ruin someone's fun." She pouted.

Bones was beginning to wonder if coming in here had been such a good idea, because now the tug was stronger than ever and there was no room for resisting. If he did, it felt like the carbon in his bones would shatter. He helplessly sat in a chair, at the mercy of a little five year old girl. Why had he applied for Starfleet med school anyway?

Spock sat in a chair, facing the corner. "He wasn't any fun at the tea party!" She said, got up and flicked one of his ears. Normally, McCoy would find this amusing, now he felt extremely defensive for his friend.

"Let him go." He said, anger building in his chest. She could do whatever she wanted to with him, but not mess with his two closest friends in the universe. If anyone was going to twang Spock's ears, it was either going to be a doctor by the name of Leonard McCoy, or nobody at all.

"No." She grinned mischievously and stuck out her tongue.

"Now, Cahili!" He yelled. She laughed more, amused at the situation.

"Use your inside voice, Bones!" Now this was just plain annoying.

"Release this star ship or I'm going to call your parents." He threatened. Please, please work!

News for him.

It really didn't work.

Bones was beginning to move, totally against his will. He lay on the floor, a small child standing above him. This was humiliating. Alright, if he really wanted his friends back, he would have to act.

"May I have some tea?" he asked kindly, hoping the total insincerity wouldn't show through.

"Sure!" she released her grip and he sat up, relieved. He paid attention to Spock, sitting in that chair. Somehow, she had gotten a hold of pink paint, and now everything was blindingly colorful. Somehow it really didn't look right, seeing a Vulcan in a frilly pink chair. Almost comical.

McCoy noted that from the time he had come in and the time he had tried to defend them, Spock seemed less tense. The situation was totally irrational, obviously melting his mind right about now. But he seemed to calm him, now that one of his few friends was here. He wasn't a completely helpless hostage. Well, that's an overstatement. He was still under a five year old's complete control.

"Do you want biscuits?" she asked, handing the doctor a plate with nothing on it.

"No thank you." He pushed back the tray. Now if he could find a way to get them out of here.

"Your friend's funny. He looks green. I hate that color. Is he sick?" Jackpot. Sometimes, after hard work of saving multiple redshirts from certain doom, you have to get some reward, right?

"You know what? He does look a little green."

"Why?"

"I don't know. I have an idea. You stay here, and I'll take a look at him in sick bay."

"Can I come?" She looked at him hopefully.

"Well, you have to invite more people to the tea party." So maybe crewmen were going to be sacrificed, but it wasn't like she was going to kill them at least.

"Alright fine." She huffed, her brown eyes sinking to the floor, and then springing to life just as well. "Bye!" Spock got up almost mechanically and walked to the door. They were in the elevator by the time Bones dared to speak.

"Spock? Can you move?"

The Vulcan's eyes were a shining brown, grateful and almost…smiling. "I do believe I have some of my own will power back, but parts of me are still being controlled."

"We need to get to sickbay. It could be our only safe haven."

They got off and with some difficulty, Spock staggered in to the medical room. The door to the main area was barricaded with chairs. "Great. Lets go to my quarters." Spock seemed to be recovering quickly and soon they were in the Doctor's quarters.

"Now how in blazes are we going to fix this." Bones sat down on his bed and put his head in his hands.

McCoy's question was not supposed to be rhetorical. But instead, Spock just down on the bed like him and did not speak. His eyes searched the blank floor, his logic seeming to fail him. "We can't just wait…she can kill us. She can do whatever she wants with this entire star ship."

"Do you suppose she can control the communications out of the ship?" Spock asked, turning his head towards the doctor. He was on to something.

"I don't know. She could have…wait, no six year old girl could _ever _know about communications and the entire electrical system."

"I do believe you mean contact to starfleet would not be impossible."

"Correct." A wave of relief spread through Bones's back. He was not now responsible for 427 lives, not counting his own. He had Spock there. A stubborn, logical Vulcan.

"So how should we go about doing this?" McCoy asked hesitantly.

"Logically." Spock offered offhand.

"That's not helpful."

"I was merely suggesting that the approach should not be a random surge of emotion." Now he was just jabbing.

"At least I have emotion!" Bones yelled, louder than he needed to.

"And what aspect of intelligence does that help you achieve?"

"The ability to understand humans, or something very much like them! Between you and me, we are the only ones who can save this entire star ship from a very _human _captor!" Spock shut up, realized what a waste of time this was, when very little may be at hand.

"If I could ask again, how are we to contact star fleet?" Spock asked coolly.

"I don't know, I'm a doctor, not a communications engineer…" McCoy grumbled.

"You would need to go down in the subsection level 5 on deck three, into the engineering quadrant and then set up the safeguard field, and then you can open communications from there."

"I don't know how to rewire things, Spock. I was trained in medical, not electrical." McCoy couldn't do that. There was no way he could do this. This was why Spock was here…wasn't it? He needed to not be in charge. No matter what happened, Jim was always there. Always telling him everything was going to work out, even when certain death was sure as the morning sun. He could always rely on his friends to pull them through. He would always be the healer, not the leader. Safe in his own job. Spock was always there too. His immovable logic was always right. Always right. Their arguments, although only Jim seemed to get, were just them expressing their friendship. Even if it came out as Bones throwing something and Spock commenting on his rage.

"Doctor, I can go, but I have done research on psychokinetic abilities. Unlike the platonians, their existence sets up a field. Some of them have bigger fields than others, Cahili and the royal family having the largest spreads. If she tunes her mind in to the field she can feel everything. In this case, it seems as her field is as big as the enterprise." Spock laid down his information.

"Could there be a lapse in her field? Like, a spot it doesn't work?"

"That would seem impossible. Every time she moves, the field shifts."

"Can we track it?"

Spock pulled out a tricorder from an equipment drawer. "If I can adjust to the atoms, I can find any malfunctions or irregularity. If there is any, your theory of tracing the control on the ship could be indeed possible." The tricorder whirred as Spock held the thingy, waving it through the air and readings coming up on the screen.

"So, is it working?"

"It appears so." He raised and eyebrow, obviously pleased with himself. The eyebrow fell as quickly as it rose. "But there are no gaps and it spreads farther than the enterprise…"

"Excellent." Bones remarked.

"No, it is not excellent. This is a problematic-"

"I was being sarcastic…" Bones sighed.

Spock looked at him in a Vulcan rolleyes and continued with his report. "If one of us can distract her long enough, that could be enough time to arrange completion of the safeguard and block her transmission."

Bones nodded. "I'll do it."

"Doctor, I am the most dispensable of the two of us."

"Spock, I am going." He said firmly.

"It will be an extreme defect if Starfleet loses one of it's best surgeons. I am merely a first officer." Spock seemed unperturbed in his voice, but something flickered in his eyes.

The Vulcan's heart was underneath his mind. He would not let the doctor go. There was no way he would allow not just the CMO, but his friend to be…well, what ever Cahili would do.

But Bones would never tolerate Spock to go.

"I am going. If your stupid logic fails to see why I should go to distract her, the reasons are quite clear. You know how to wangle this whole force field in to working. You're smarter. She likes me, and unlike you, I can manipulate kids better. She's not going to kill me."

Spock looked on disapprovingly. They exchanged eyes, bright shining blue ones to caramel brown ones.

"I'll be fine." Bones stared at Spock, seeming so in control. So calm, serene, and composed. All of his ground in which he normally stood was being shaken and these things if on the outside looked standard, it was all crumpling indoors. "Good luck, Spock."


	3. Outside World

Dolls: Chapter 3

Going to do a little POV, thank you! But, I'm going to go back to 3rd person.

Spock left the room, determined as always. And I sat there, watching him go. I took some pride, winning an argument with that stubborn hobgoblin. But now I have something else to deal with. Cahili.

Honestly, this whole thing was so weird. A small child with levitation witchcraft powers just couldn't possibly be good. Not to mention, I'm beginning to question some things. Where on the enterprise did she get pink paint? And she couldn't have done it herself. It seemed all dry by the time I came in too. And that chair Spock was sitting in. That wasn't a design that had ever been on the enterprise. Something's really bizarre.

I felt a tug on the back of my shirt, as my heart must've began to pulse higher than a Vulcan's insane three hundred beats per minute. She knew where I was and was going to wonder where Spock was.

Dashing to the door and to the elevator, I hoped her only focus was on me. And that Spock was succeeding. I got to her deck and ran in to the door, trying to hide my stress. She didn't seem to notice, and if she did, she didn't care.

"Hi Bones!" she squealed excitedly.

"Hi Cahili." I responded rather blandly.

"Did he puke?" she asked, truthfully wondering if the hobgoblin had barfed. Very, very pleasant.

"No, but he's still sick. He's going to lie down for a little bit." I tried to smile sweetly, but it kind of came out as I was really nervous. Which I was.

When we were down on the Platonians' planet, it was truly horrific. Seeing my friends be tortured and Jim commanding me to let it go on. Try to imagine seeing your best friends being mind controlled, and then you being ordered to let it continue! I, beyond any doubt at all, would as soon murder them as they pushed around Alexander and made Spock cry…I was not about to have the same endings be for them and four hundred others again.

I looked up from the little tea party set up and saw now three of these chairs. These strange, frilly chairs. In them sat Scotty, Chekov and Kirk. I stopped breathing.

There they were, turned around, facing me. I looked at my companions, each of their faces either scared or alarmed. Chekov's eyes were wide, sort of like a puppy's. He always seemed so young for being enlisted in Starfleet. But he was a great helmsman. Scotty didn't seem scared as to what was going to happen, but more finding the entire situation creepy. And Jim. God, his eyes made my stomach drop in to a ditch in my organs. Fear. Fear showed through his eyes. Seeing such a courageous, strong leader…one of my best friends being scared was enough to make me keel over and shudder.

I can't describe their mouths.

They were all smiling.

My vision was beginning to blur a little when I looked back at Jim. He could tell I was fading and frightened. I guess a bit of Spock has rubbed off on me because my logical mind told me if I didn't keep her busy, there would be one more person in here, and we would all be sitting in these chairs.

"Is Mr. Ears going to come back?" I assumed she was talking about Spock.

"Yea, but maybe later." My voice trailed off a little. I was still feeling faint. Déjà vu didn't even begin to describe it.

Something else I hadn't noticed, there was a quaint little table decorated with flowers. I took a seat at it with Cahili. "Why don't they come and sit with us?" I asked, before realizing this was a terrible idea. The last thing I needed was to see my comrades sitting there wide eyed and smiling like the devil. I couldn't bear their distraction and worry. But nonetheless, I believe Cahili thought this was a good idea, even if I didn't.

They pulled up their chairs, grinning, making me sick. Slowly, their eyes turned. Their fears were slowly disintegrating into a fog that clouded their eyes. This was even worse.

The Platonians at least understood what they were doing was wrong. She didn't, and there was doubt I could ever make her understand.

Come on Spock, come on…

Xxx

My movements were quick and precise. If I was not to stand in for the Doctor, I would not fail him. I did not take the elevator for I presumed staying in one area may cause strain, having her realize where I was.

Thoughts of mine were of the Captain and McCoy. How alarming human fear is, even to me.

This small girl, Princess Cahili, does not only possess ill manners, she seems to be totally unaware of others. I believe this is called being 'Spoiled' amongst humans. I do not see how rotting fruit has association to a trait of human flaw, but humans are sometimes most illogical.

She seems as though she does not like me. She made several references to my varying facial features much to my dislike, and as the good Doctor stated, I am not very good at the act of being social towards human (or Malkan) children.

Some random objects were free floating, even though the artificial gravity had no leaks. When I had gotten to the correct deck, I was alarmed to find a force field already set up around it. Fortunately, I have been trained in doing simple tasks like so and easily disarmed it. I held my hand phaser tightly as I approached the controls. Just to be sure there were no more safeguards, I fired a phaser beam. Nothing happened.

It had simply shut off. There was a lone washer on the ground which I took and threw at the controls. There was no force field, so I proceeded in my mission. I took a step and felt shockwaves travel throughout my body. It must have been a heat sensory field. My body violently collapsed to the ground and despite my logic, I let out a moan.

Even though my forearm and chest had been burnt severely, I got up with some struggle and dismembered the barrier. I then continued to the communications section and encoded Starfleet.

"Enterprise, First Officer Spock to Starfleet command, come in." I spoke in to the mouth piece.

"Starfleet command, Lt. Royinger here. What's the issue? And why are you streaming from the engineering sub quadrant?"

"Lieutenant, Princess Cahili of Malka Seven has taken the crew captive."

"What?"

"Did you hear what I said to you or out of shock are you just asking me to repeat it?"

"I heard what you said, Spock. Should we send reinforcements?"

"A reinforcement ship and a confinement area would be a logical decision."

"Alright, I'll get this message through as soon as I can. They should be there in a week. We will be in constant communications."

"I do not know how possible that is."

"Why?"

"The ship's communications are all tightly surveyed by her power shields. Communicating could be…an illogical idea. I will try to contact as frequently as possible, as for Starfleet, please keep the ship under close watch. Spock out." I flipped some switches to end the transmission. The doctor was not going to be happy with these results.


	4. Shaken up

Dolls: Chapter 4

Humiliation. A factor in this seemingly simple mission. Deliver a princess to a Starfleet base on the other side of the galaxy. Easy. But not when your lives are in the hands of a six year old girl.

Spock had managed out of the room and was now wondering what to do. The doctor may not approve of what he had wanted to do, but he knew for the time, it was certainly a logical decision. If it would only work…

He carefully ran to sickbay, quickly moving aside the objects barricading the door and conjured up a potion. It would increase the adrenaline, thus allowing his atoms to be less easily manipulated and give him roughly five minutes before it would either stop working or make him pass out.

He inhaled it, seeing as the substance could be potentially poisonous, but the scent was enough to stimulate the electrons. He would have to make quick work of this.

To the elevator and off right outside the door of the room…in which the girl sat. Even more reason for this. As he got closer to the door, the pull on his clothing was beginning to bear weight, but his tough Vulcan exterior could resist this. The door squealed open and Spock ran in. Cahili had no time to say anything, but had fully grasped the situation. Spock laid his fingers on her neck and she collapsed like a fly.

Spock looked up to see Kirk, Scotty, Chekov and McCoy looking at him.

"What did you do?" Bones asked, not too accusatorially, but still unsure.

"I simply knocked her out. We have about an hour to get her in to confinement. I suggest we start now."

Kirk, seeming a little dazed and embarrassed, lifted her up and followed Spock to the nearest confinement sect. He put the princess down gently, they turned the force field on and set it on high magnitude. The five men walked down to an empty room and locked the door.

"What happened?" The captain, engineering officer and helmsman all stared at Spock and McCoy.

"She took control of everyone. Ship wide." Bones told them.

"A girl…took control. Of my ship!" Kirk threw himself back from his position on the bench they sat on and raised his arms in the air.

"Spock, do you think that the room will hold her?"

"I do not know, captain." However badly Jim wanted that to be a rhetorical question, it wasn't going to work. He was scared. Truly and honestly scared. Life or death situations, ha, been there, done that. Torture was so last planet. Meeting greek gods? Strange but fine. Mind control : Not okay.

He wanted Spock to tell him this horrible chapter was all over. They were going to deliver the princess and she wouldn't bother them again.

"Doctor, I contacted Starfleet."

"And?"

"And they said they were sending reinforcement ships." They all seemed to let out relieved sighs, Bones in to a full out grin.

"How long will 'ey take, Mr. Spock?" Scotty asked.

"Lt. Royinger had told be they would be commissioned in a week."

"Scotty, Chekov, please return to duty. We need to get her to warp seven." Kirk commanded.

"But captain-" Scotty objected.

"That's an order, Scotty." He spoke in a not very commanding voice.

"Alright sir." Scotty was defeated and left.

"Wait…a week? We can't hold her for that long. What if she breaks out again?" He panicked as soon they left. Jim's eyes got wide as he spoke. Mind control had always been extremely scary for him. If it was a little girl behind it, that wasn't reassuring.

Silence met his ears.

"Thank you." He said quietly. Jim looked up at his officers. His two best friends. "You saved our lives." His eyes seemed to twinkle in affection for them both.

"I'm afraid our mission hasn't ended yet." Spock looked down at his feet. "If she wakes and the accelerated electrons aren't enough, there could be a major problem."

Bones sighed. "Nothing's ever perfect in space, is it?"

"No it is not." Kirk put his cheek in his hand. "What to do now?

"I guess resume normal positions. What are you two going to tell crewmen?" Bones asked.

"Possibly to say an alien force has controls, so remain in caution."

"I thought Vulcans didn't tell lies." Bones said skeptically.

"I am simply not telling the whole truth. I believe you call this a 'White lie.'"

"Alright, make that announcement. Bones, could you get a sedative for her? Keep her under as long as we can?"

"Jim, I can't."

"Why's that?"

"The legal rights of the princess were given to me since I am in charge of medical arrangements. The contract simply forbids me doing so. If I do, Malkans could secede from the federation and potentially kill. They weren't okay with Cahili leaving, except for something…what was it?"

"Go check. Me and Spock are going to return to the bridge."

"Have fun telling that white lie of yours."

"Believe me doctor, fun is certainly the incorrect term."

XXX

Back in sickbay, Bones sighed. It was good to be back where he belonged. Still, the weight of the uncertainty of Cahili waking was worrying. McCoy wasn't entirely sure if Spock would be right with his estimate of an hour, so better make quick work of this.

He turned on the med-record computer.

"Computer, Malkan files." The computer whirred.

"Analyzed. Fifty-Seven results."

"Result; Princess Cahili Agreement, open and print." Even though McCoy always preferred regular records and books to newfangled devices and technology, he was still happy Spock had taught him that computer speak. Even if he was incredibly reluctant to have a hobgoblin teach him.

The paper print speedily and Bones snatched it up, reading every word of it. "The federation prohibits any lactose, gluton…blah blah…" the doctor skimmed through the print. There was an incredibly long list of things she wasn't allowed to have, sedatives being one of them. But why? Why?

More reading and it was there in the fine black type. "Test results of analyzing Conjalytic command in bloodstream could be effected to give untrue consequence…oh my god." McCoy got up and was about to slap on the intercom before remembering his friend Jim must be busy. It didn't matter, Spock or Kirk, he just needed one of them to know.

"McCoy to Bridge."

"Kirk here. Did you find something, Bones?"

"I did. I need someone to come down here, stat."

"I'm on my way. Spock, come on. Kirk out."

McCoy waited hesitantly for his friends to arrive. This entire incident could get a whole lot worse from here. With little delay, Kirk and Spock walked into sickbay, Kirk seeming his normal proud and charismatic and Spock his cool, sleek, cat-like steps. "C'mere. I found out why they need Cahili."

Bones ready through the contract, Spock occasionally raising an eyebrow and Kirk's forehead ruffled in confusion. McCoy finished the briefing. "What does Conjalytic mean?" Kirk asked, a little embarrassed of his lack of knowledge.

"Jim…" McCoy sighed, not wanting to think about it, but having to tell him anyway. "she can create things with her mind."

"Conjalytic coming from the word conjure, meaning to summon objects."

"That would explain the chairs…" Bones said under his breath, none of the other two bothering to ask what he had said.

"So the reason why the malkans agreed…?" McCoy asked. It still didn't seem to make that much sense.

"Because they desire this power." Spock said without faltering.

"There were no Malkans allowed onboard because they know the purposes of the mission and wanted nobody to be told." Bones finished, putting together the puzzle.

"What we need right now is a lawyer." Kirk sighed and put his cheek in his hand.

"Yea, if I could give her sedatives, we could easily make it there without any more playhouse crap." McCoy agreed.

"That was weird." Kirk said quietly.

"I will not disagree, captain."

"Uh huh."

They sat together in sickbay for a minute, savoring each others' presence. They were a triangle. Each trait easily balanced out the others, over and over again. When Kirk felt down or needed someone to empathize with him, he'd turn to Bones and maybe get a drink while playing hold 'em. When he needed someone to stabilize him and needed help getting his thoughts clear, he'd turn to Spock as they would play 3-D chess in the rec room. McCoy following this routine, obviously with his own variations between him and Spock and the Vulcan followed suit. They knew that their three was powerful, even if there were quarrels. They fixed problem after problem onboard the enterprise, now how to fix this one.

Suddenly, the ship began to shake, vibrating down to your bone. Things all of the sudden seemed to be fluorescent and brightly colored, melting in to a sickly cotton candy shaded pink. "What's happening?" McCoy screamed over the intense rattle. Things were breaking outside the room and Kirk had been violently thrown to the floor, soon to be joined by the doctor and first officer. Spock crashed his head against one of the benches, and he was beginning to go comatose.

"Spock!" Kirk yelled, seeing green liquid seep out of his head. The rocking became even more brutal, Jim holding Spock's shoulders so he wouldn't smack into anything else. McCoy was trying desperately to grab on to something when as abruptly as it had started, it stopped once more.

"Spock!" Jim shook him gently, trying to see if he was still conscious.

"Put him down on the bed." Bones signified the beds they had in med bay, one of the few things that was now still not frazzled post space-quake.

McCoy took a pulse. His heart beat was slow for a Vulcan. "I need something to still the bleeding…he's losing blood fast. I can't leave and neither can you under these circumstances." Bones turned to Kirk. The captain nodded, sighed just barely and took off his shirt. "That'll work."

He tied the sleeves around the green substance dripping from Spock's neatly kept hair. It was beginning to get matted and sticky from the blood. The doctor stared at his patient lying before him, seeing the steady rise and fall of Spock's chest. His eyes were shut and brows knitted together in what seemed to be distress. It was like he was asleep.

His expression would change, one of anguish to fear to anger. McCoy and Jim exchanged glances. "is he…going to be okay?" Jim asked, hoping the answer would be yes.

"Pretty sure. A minor concussion. He's been through worse…I just don't know about…" he trailed off, and both knew how the sentence was going to end. Cahili was only an elevator ride away.

Bones pulled over a chair to the bed and gently touched Spock's arm. His face muscles reacted and calmed. His expression seemed more tranquil. Jim had seen it too. "Do that again." Kirk said, stepping over to the bed, also pulling up a chair.

This time, McCoy held on to his arm tightly, and Spock's face returned to it's normal state, but with eyes closed. _Spock…_Bones thought. _Pull through. We need you now. Now. Now._

As if Spock heard him, his eyes shot open, springing to sit up, Kirk's shirt thrown off his head. Bones jumped a little bit and Jim put a hand on Spock's chest. "Lay back down." He told him calmly.

It wasn't getting through. "Jim's right Spock," the doctor said more firmly after a second. "Lay back down. You're losing a lot of blood." As a response to that, his feet flew around the side of the bed and he began to walk out of sickbay. The strain in his muscles was incredible, and it seemed like he would pop a vein. He slowed down for words to force their way out of his mouth.

"I am not in control of my ac-" The tension held on his body was so intense, he couldn't even speak. Bones and Jim stood up and ran over to Spock, trying to push him out of the doorway and get him to the medical bed. One of Spock's arms flailed back and hit Bones squarely in the head, making him fly across the room. Kirk desperately tried to hold the door shut with his strength – and the little button. Spock merely punched the door and it crumpled.

His head seemed to be bent down a little. Not noticeable to the average crewman. But like a flashing motel light to the other two of the three musketeers. His humiliation in being manipulated was so excruciating, it was visible. He headed for the elevator in shame.

Kirk ran over to McCoy, dragging him up and helping keep him up as they limped to the elevator, waiting for it's return.

"Are you alright?" Jim asked, standing him up fully, supporting his shoulders which seemed to bear fifty pound weights. Bones put his hand on his forehead.

"Yea, I'm alright." He shook away from the captain, a way of saying, _Yea, I'm okay, now get your grubby hands off me. _But, of course, more kindly. "Are you?"

"I'm fine." Replied the shirtless Kirk. "But I can't say the same for Spock."


	5. Play Time

Dolls: Chapter 5

Incase you don't like really odd, straight from the dark depths of my mind, sci-fi stuff, turn back now. If you love slash stuff, this is SO not for you. If you like friendship stuff, please, read on! If you want something REALLY weird, you are my best friend.

Before getting to her room, they checked the cage she had been put in. The force field was ripped sloppily apart. She must be as mad as a rabid possum, thought Bones.

They stood before the door of the hell child. McCoy felt better in his head, but still a little bruised. He knew he had to get over it. "Which one of us should go in first?" he asked.

"I will."

"Jim!" McCoy had meant it to be a fake question.

"You've done _everything _in this mess. You are an injured man." He said firmly.

"I am going, Jim." Bones stood his ground.

"That is an order."

"What?"

"You heard me. Now stand over there so she doesn't see you."

"Of all the rotten, no good, dirty-"

"Just go." Bones obeyed, obviously unhappy his friend was of higher rank, thus giving him complete power over McCoy.

Kirk stepped through the automatic double doors and what he saw made his stomach churl. A room as big as the bridge if not much bigger was in the small quarters for guests. A putrid shade of puce, with flower prints everywhere. Across the room was her bed, uncannily large, king sized. Three doll houses, a shelf and the one thing that made the captain doused in sweat. Sickly sweet saliva filled his mouth and ice cold water drenched his skin and bare chest.

There, taking up a lot of the room, was a display case. Carefully labeled and polished were a small list of names. Pavel Chekov, Nyota Uhura, Hikaru Sulu, Montgomery Scott, Leonard Bones McCoy, James Kirk and Spock. And one of them was already filled in.

The only occupant of the glass case was Mr. Spock. Matted as it was, a faint, dark green inhabiting that thick black hair of his. But on top of where the scar was, lay a hot pink cap, settling just behind his ears, making the slightly green tinted things attached to the sides of his head stick out even more.

Uniform changed from blue to a light pastel pink –also matching the theme- resided on his chest. And perhaps the saddest thing was that this time he wasn't smiling. This time all the fear and anger was spread out like a deck of cards.

Standing next to Spock, outside this case was little princess Cahili. She grinned happily. "You're right on time, Jim!" she squealed happily. Using his sly thinking he quickly countered.

"I see you've gotten this room a lovely shade of pink." He commented smoothly.

"I love the way it looks! Guess what my favorite color is." She said, seeming very smug. There was no way he would EVER guess.

"Pink?" Kirk asked, as if it was a completely random guess.

"How did you know?" There was no sarcasm to be found.

"I-"

"Bones told you didn't he?" Now she was calling his best friends by their nicknames? Jim was strange, Bones didn't even make sense. That was his name for the doctor in the academy, how did SHE get a hold of it? "Naughty naughty." She pouted, plopping down on the bed. "Where is he?" She asked.

"I don't know." Oh, what a stupid comment! If he could've put it back in his mouth-

"I'll find him!" She screeched with delight. She did absolutely nothing and stared into space. Desperate to find a way to distract her, he said the first thing that came to mind. He didn't know much about little girls, so something from a stupid school reading assignment shot up in his brain.

"Uh, Cahili, want to play dress up?" If bones were here he would have slapped his forehead so hard he would have given himself a concussion.

"Oooh! Good idea, Jimmy!" Great, now it was a pet name. It seems like Kirk has forgotten this chick has psychokinetic powers AND can make random objects in the blink of an eye. All with her mind.

Bones had kept his ear to the wall, hearing everything, infact he had slapped his forehead hard. But he was careful, knowing how close he had been to passing out. Jim was buying him time. Now he just had to put it to good use. He wanted to keep watch so his friend couldn't get in to trouble, but honestly, the worst that could happen was that he would be wearing a frilly dress. Actually, that's something the good doctor would like to see. He snickered a little, under his breath, trying to forget the situation, just a little.

He needed to get help. Find a way to take her under. To the devil with laws, rules and contracts. They were just going to test her they would an animal! He needed to find a way to sedate her and fast. Where would Scotty be? Where would Sulu be? Where would anyone be in this madhouse?

Bones got into the elevator and went to the bridge. The same deathly silence was the only thing to greet him. His own heartbeat seemed to be as loud as a rock concert in his ears. Stepping outside into the bridge he saw most all his friends who he needed. Chekov, Scotty, Uhura, Sulu and some lieutenants that could be useful. Like sickbay and the halls, it was a sickly shade of pink. Flounced ribbons mobbed the deck and railways.

All was still.

Another question popped up in McCoy's head. How on earth was he supposed to move them? She was aware of them, there must be a way to break it. Wait, Spock had to have something to help him resist when he pounced on her. It wouldn't make any sense if he didn't have anything to assist him. Even a Vulcan like him couldn't defy it without aid.

Back through the candy colored halls, Bones got to sickbay and saw a curious potion sitting promptly on the table. He took out a tricorder and scanned it. The readings showed chemicals deadly to many humanoids, eliminating…that was it. That smart son of a vulcan and human!

The tincture dulled brain cells in a way that outside forces wouldn't have anything to manipulate, allowing few exterior pulses to travel through the body! But how did he take it? Ingesting it would be suicide, and Spock clearly wasn't dead…he clearly smelled it.

He shrugged. How bad could it be? McCoy took one whiff of that crap and his face seemed to turn as green as Spock's. That was the most foul scented cup of cow muck he had ever smelt. And he was from a Georgian farm, he should know. Also, his brain cells were fading. A little lightheaded, he took a reading on them, showing it would not be enough. He groaned under his breath, and inhaled it once again.

He came up gagging.

"Bleh. I think that beef barley's coming back up, at least I'm not going to be the only one upchucking. " Happily, he made his way back to the bridge and put it under Scotty's nose.

"Ay, what in the devil's stables is that 'sposed to be?" He yelled, going aback from McCoy's liquid.

"It's just a little Georgian brandy. What, too strong for you?"

"That ain't no brandy I've ever drunk!" He stuck out his tongue in disgust. "I think somethins' making a secon' round." He held his hand to his mouth.

"Yea, it does that."

Scotty seemed to turn his attention away to the man with the rotten fluid to the rest of the bridge where things were as still and silent as stone.

"Listen, Scotty, you know little princess Cahili?"

"'A course I do! She caused the ship ta' shake like what bagpipes do to a glass!"

"She has Spock and Jim."

"Oh no. Can ya tell me somethin' I want to hear?" He put on one of his, man this situation sucks faces.

"Well, that putrid mold you smelled should give you resistance against her psychokinetic powers." Bones said, leaning on the control panel.

"Well are we goin' ta get them out or not?"

"We don't have that much time, Scotty. Jim's buying it for us and it's not cheap. We'd better move if we want to save their skins."

XXX

Kirk sighed. This day was not going the way he wanted. Bones was off doing who knows what in a seemly hopeless attempt to save them, Spock was in a glass display case wearing a pink hat, and he was now having several girly outfits on him with the fashion sense of a six year old. Great. And at the end of all of it, it was embarrassing as heck and Spock watched it all, occasionally raising eyebrows, his own way of laughing hysterically.

Cahili, then had a wonderful idea. Why not see Kirk in a _girl _officer's clothing! His face flushed a red as red as a cherry. About fifty years later, even though the federation had no idea why _Kirk _would propose this, girls now had the same comfortable shirts and pants as their male executives and coworkers, as shown boldly by the wonderful Dr. Crusher and others on the future enterprise.

Kirk just wished this horrific day would END! Suddenly, he was back in his regular clothes (well, almost regular. His shirt was the same color as his first officer's) , -thank god- and sitting on the incredibly large bed. Then things began to pop up out of nowhere.

First, a bunch of different dolls. Some ragdolls, some baby dolls, some princess dolls, and others he didn't have the girlyness to know.

Then stuffed animals. A puppy, a kitty, three snakes which curled around his neck and tied his arms down, not allowing him to move (As if he could with the psychokinetic pull on him.) A penguin, more kitties, more baby dolls and then three teddy bears. More and more animals stacked up, beginning to rest on him, all smiling creepy smiles. Soon he was covered by these fake creatures, except for his head and hands which showed. One of the three teddy bears was colossal. Bigger than the captain himself. The bear sat in the middle of the arrangement, Kirk promptly leaned against it's chest.

"Let go of me Cahili!"

"No! You guys hurt me!" She said defensively, rubbing her shoulder where Spock had gripped it. "Anyway, you look so cute with all of them! You're staying exactly where you are, mister." She pouted. "You're going to be part of my dolly collection!"

Ugh. He couldn't stand little children. "Mister Ears!" This was now Spock's pet name. Kirk cocked his head over to the glass display case, -still very very creepy- and Spock moved and the door opened, as he walked to the bed where Cahili now sat, the door shut silently behind him.

Spock unwillingly seated himself on the bed and Cahili squealed with delight. She flicked his ears, getting much amusement out of seeing them twitch. "Stop that!" Kirk yelled.

"Shhhh!" The snakes squeezed tighter on his wrists and the faces of the animals seemed to smile more.

She continued to tweak the pointed appendages, watching them jerk briefly. Spock was not enjoying this.

Cahili now decided to play with his face, touching his cheeks and nose, contorting it as Spock seemed completely limp. It was disconcerting to see his friend being controlled. "Why doesn't he smile?"

"He's not happy." Kirk replied, annoyance and anger evident in his tone.

"Why?"

"He doesn't like when his ears are flicked." He replied dryly.

"Hmph." She continued to tweak his ears, leading to a mini storm cloud above the Vulcan's head.

Cahili sat on Spock's thighs, and pinned his shoulders to the bed, looking in to his caramel brown eyes. His irritation and displeasure were obvious in his features.

"Hmph. He looks weird." She commented, not lifting Spock's frustration. A pink ribbon appeared on the bed. She tied it around his head in a bow. "Perfect!" She poofed up another one and this time skillfully knotted it on Kirk's.

"But where's Bones!" She complained impatiently. The time was ticking away quickly.

Kirk was racking his brain back and forth. No ideas even sounded like things a kid would want to do, and no matter how unsavory it was he would use it…buy him more time…buy him more time!

"I can't find him!" Kirk and Spock exchanged surprised glances. "I know! Lets play hide and seek!" She exclaimed.

Spock raised an eyebrow, wondering how bad it could be, but at the same time really not wanting to leave, due to the pretty pink attire he wore. "But you have to stay here. You can't play! You were mean." Kirk decided to test how strong her will was.

"But-"

"No!" She screamed. "Now be good or I'll turn you into a baby doll!" and dignifiedly walked out the door.

"Um…did she just say…?"

"I do believe so, Captain."

"Can she…?"

"I do not know, Captain."


	6. Parental Footing

Dolls: Chapter 6

Scotty, Chekov, Uhura and of Course, Dr. McCoy had been running all over the ship, trying to overrun this whole psychokinetic mess and put this fowl smelling liquid in to the air. Sulu was nowhere to be found, same with nurse chapel. Going to get Kirk and Spock, as much as they hated to admit, would be suicide.

Bones was in the process of making more of this, mixing the ingredients in huge batches in a large bin. It reeked and he ended up using a gas mask, partially because if he ingested too much it would be deadly, partially because the smell was making his eyes water.

Scotty and Chekov were working hard at rigging the ventilation system to an engine drive sector, and for that matter, manipulating the controls because practically nothing was working.

Uhura went down to where Spock had tried to communicate with Starfleet prior to this, assuming the bridge was not safe now. It was Com. Base, where all the equipment was. But obviously, Cahili had noticed the disturbance and all the systems were firewalled. It was strange mostly because none of them had any ideas of how a girl this young could possibly know how to set these things up.

It wasn't an easy process, trying to make things work when technology was against you. Especially when Bones had accidentally spilled a little toxic gunk on the floor and it sizzled and burned a little hole. Especially when Uhura couldn't get through to Starbase because of blocked circuitry and security that would take at least an hour to unclog. Especially when Chekov got a burn on his hand and had to be sent up to sickbay making Scotty and McCoy's work slower.

It was a first degree burn. Pain sprawled through the ensign's hand and he cursed in Russian. Tears had sprang to his eyes in an effort to be put back, but his will failed him and they rolled down his face, Pavel quickly trying to wipe them away as they came.

McCoy didn't really have time for this injury, and simply ran it under cold water, applied disinfectant and wrapped it in gauze. It still hurt a lot.

"Mr. Chekov, can't you get hurt at a better time?" McCoy had asked him while wrapping the bandage.

"Sir, I-"

"Don't answer."

The work was slow. Tediously slow. But they were only thirty minutes in when footsteps were heard down the hall of Sickbay, where Bones and an injured Pavel sat. These footsteps weren't the bold, enthusiastic ones of Scotty, or the quiet, determined ones of Uhura. These were ones of a little girl. And two other figures.

McCoy grabbed Chekov by the wrist and forearm just above the burn and pulled him in to the other section of sickbay, and dragged him in to a closet, locking it from the inside with a button. "Doctor McCoy? Is zat her?" Chekov asked anxiously.

"Yes, now shuddup, Chekov!" He whispered fiercely. If any of them got caught, it could be game over for them and the ship.

The ensign shut up to the Doctor's wishes, knowing from watching him and Spock bicker there was nothing worse than an angry CMO.

The three sets of footsteps were closer. Closer. Much too close for comfort. McCoy felt a cold sweat tingle down his spine and down to his tailbone, breath in short, silent pants. Her shrill little voice was heard. "Where is he?" She demanded and more searching seemed to be heard.

Then they were at the closet door. The person looking who's steps signified being older than little Cahili's, pressed the button to open it. It didn't move. Great. They were now being hunted. Suddenly, the two doors were pushed open as if human hands were prying it apart with brute, insane strength. The outside lights of sickbay flooded in, revealing a silhouette standing there as more and more brightness filled the closet. The silhouette, standing, doing nothing as these extremely huge metal doors opened was Hikaru Sulu.

"The Doctor is in here." Sulu said, obvious mind control in his tone.

His dark eyes showed regret, sadness, and anger at himself for saying this. Giving his friends away. But he was forced to look up as Cahili joined at his side.

"Hi Bones! Why are you hiding?" Small children…he wanted to sigh.

"I was playing hide and seek." He said calmly, thinking on his feet.

"Oh! But I couldn't find you…" She said, puzzled. The potion had worked! "Well I found you now. Lets go back." She took his hand and began to walk, McCoy stayed put, not at all frayed by her 'brute force'.

"I'm not leaving, Cahili." More puzzlement swept across her face.

"Why? Don't you want to play?" She sounded cute. Too cute. But not too cute to sway the old CMO.

"Because I need to work." He replied firmly.

"Come on." She continued to walk and turned around a few paces later.  
"Why aren't you going?"

"Because I want to stay."

"But I want you to go!" She yelled, confused why he wasn't moving when she wanted him to.

"Your psychokinetic powers aren't going to work on me, Cahili. Now I want to let Spock and Kirk go." This was the voice McCoy used when he meant business. The kind of no nonsense _its time for your physical _and _get out of my sickbay before I hypo you _voice. The one you listened to or a strong sedative was going in your neck.

"No." She declared. Someone saying no to Bones's scary doctor voice was unheard of.

"You will let them go this instant, Cahili." Now this wasn't his enterprise voice. This was the voice he used when Joanna wouldn't stop watching monogramvision. When she would scream at the top of her lungs to annoy her father. When she did all the little things she did that were not okay. The voice that said, Stop Right Now.

Cahili sat there, eyes widening. She didn't pout. She didn't say no. She simply sat there, a little teary eyed. McCoy had no sympathy. She had nearly destroyed the enterprise and endangered his friends' lives. He had learned to resist the puppy eyes.

Without a word, her eyebrows were knitted together in a tight V, angry and sad. Sulu and…the other figure who she had walked in with, Nurse Chappel, the two missing crewmen, grabbed him by the arms. Bones had apparently forgotten she may not control him, but everything around him.

Chekov watched this whole thing, wide eyed, freaked out. Cahili didn't seem to care about him. He clenched his jaw and went to break Sulu's grip on it. Hikaru held stronger than Chekov's fingers could pry. McCoy struggled. He wasn't going down without a fight. Christine and Sulu both looked forward with glazed eyes.

Their grip was so tight it was beginning to cut off McCoy's blood circulation. His hands were getting extremely pale to the point where they were numb. Sulu slid back a hand and wrenched it forward, in a tight fist, right in to Chekov's forehead. "Chekov!" McCoy yelled.

The ensign shrieked and stumbled aback, momentum strong in his head. Pavel was knocked on the ground, holding his head in his hand, eyes clenched shut, shivering from the pain.

Now it wasn't a matter of taming a child, this was out of hand. She had intentionally hurt his friend. "Release me now, Cahili!" Bones's eyes weren't flickering. They were an inferno. A blazing, incredible heat that was so hot, it burned the grip she had on him. Sulu and Chapel's grip quickly melted away as an almost inhuman rage burned.

Cahili's eyes got wet and teary, face contorted in a sad expression. She crumpled on her knees and wept with her child's voice, moaning. It would sound like distorted laughing, with a low, wailing noise. Her braids fell in front of her face, covering herself up.

Normally this would make the doctor feel guilt. But she had punched Chekov in what looked like a horrible bruise. Chekov! McCoy ran over to the injured helmsman and told him to remove his hand so he could see how bad it was. Bones pulled back his brown hair revealing a spot swelling quickly, an ugly yellow-black beginning to show.

Despite the crying child at the doorway, Bones ran around the sickbay, getting the proper equipment he needed for this wound. He rubbed some odd cream on it, and took a cold frozer pack (A recent invention created by Starfleet scientists) and bandaged it around his head. The second head injury this week!

McCoy helped Chekov up, and as he stood on his feet, the ensign swerved and the doctor steadied him and instructed him to sit down. Now what was he going to do with Cahili?

The idea popped into his head. This might be his only chance! Quickly the hypospray was in hand as he approached Cahili. She looked up, sadness and anger in her eyes, and in the blink of an eye, a table was in front of her, blocking her from McCoy. It floated there, looking awkward, not applying to the laws of physics that Scotty cannae change.

Then, over the floating table, McCoy saw her, leaving. She left. She left!

Bones punched the intercom and reported to Mr. Scot and Uhura exactly what happened.

XXX

Kirk and Spock sat in relative silence, anticipating the return of Dr. McCoy, and their small captor. Well, Kirk was. Not Spock.

If the doctor had the intelligence the Vulcan had estimated, he would have reasoned why Spock had not been held as he attacked the child, and gone back to sickbay finding the mixture on the table. That maybe he would find a way to free the others and win back the ship.

But this was Hope.

No, not hope. Hope was a silly human emotion, not a logical Vulcan thought. This was a theory, not hope, the pointed eared man assured himself.

"Spock?"

"Yes captain?"

"What do you think of this whole episode?" Kirk asked his first officer, weakly.

"I can not calculate what I do think about it, but I do _not _find it…fascinating."

Kirk sighed. "Neither do I. Jeez, I wish I could move." He tried to shake loose and failed miserably as if to demonstrate.

"As do I. The lack of physical freedom is most displeasing."

"Do you think he's okay?" Kirk stared into Spock's eyes, pleading for an answer that would be yes. "Oh…what if he's not? What if he's…." he began flipping out a little, small beads of sweat gathered on his brow.

"Jim," Spock said. The captain stopped and sat for a moment. This was what Spock would say in a time of fear, anger or worry. Spock never used Jim's first name unless it was in a time of weakness. The sound of the letters blurring together calmed the storm in his head. Clearing his thoughts, and soothing his mind.

When things seemed hopeless and Kirk handled it, he was sturdy on the outside, allowing all of the crew to stack their worries atop Jim's back. He would bear their load. But when it was too much to stomach, Spock was there. His first officer, composed and knowing. That they would get through it together and they would survive and save the ship, once again.

"You're right…he'll pull through. The dear ol' doctor always does." Jim smiled a little, and laughed a barely passable laugh.

"Quite correct, captain." And there he was, back to his old formal, Vulcan self.

The two of them sat there, Kirk buried by stuffed animals and Spock sitting on an unbelievably large bed in a pink shirt and cap. And in walked a sulking, tear stained face of a princess they all knew by the name of Cahili.


End file.
